Hazeldell Meadow State Nature Preserve is a rare ecosystem located within the Highland Rim region of south-central Kentucky. It is the only state-protected site of its kind. This preserve is comprised of two distinct plant communities, including wet flatwoods and a wet meadow. To date there is only one published study on mammals in the preserve. This was a general survey using cameras with bait stations. Here we present the results of a second study specifically surveying carnivores that ran from 3 September 2022 to 26 March 2023.

Stations were set up with cameras attached to trees in the wet flatwoods habitat and aimed at other trees with attractants that included twenty commercially prepared baits and lures. This study demonstrated the value of using scent lures in addition to food baits when doing surveys on carnivorous mammals. A total of 37,193 images were taken with 525 showing nine species of carnivores. The six most photographed and videoed species were raccoons, coyotes, domestic dogs, striped skunks, bobcats, and red fox that comprised 98% of carnivore images. The remaining nine images were of a long-tailed weasel, American mink, and a domestic cat. This study is the first documenting these three species, along with domestic dogs, in the preserve. The results serve as baseline data for comparisons to future surveys to show potential changes in the carnivore community.

Recent developments in wind turbine technology, new wind resource data, and new federal tax credits for renewable energy are increasing the suitability of wind electricity generation in Kentucky. In 2022, Kentucky had 68% of its electricity from coal and in 2023 was one of eight U.S. states with no utility-scale wind generation. In the past, the state has been viewed as being generally unsuitable for wind power generation. While wind is not the most economic resource in Kentucky, all states bordering the Commonwealth have wind power. Wind power generation in Kentucky appears increasingly likely in the coming decades to play a role in the state's energy mix, whether through regional utilities, third-party renewable energy developers, or through distributed behind-the-meter industrial customer deployments. New advancements in wind turbines are allowing them to effectively capture more power from lower speed winds and at higher distances above the ground where the wind is stronger and more consistent. Clean Electricity Tax Credits from the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) dramatically change the economics of wind power. The tax credit can reach up to 50% of the capital costs of a wind farm if it is built in an area designated as an Energy Community, which most of Kentucky is. Evolving federal environmental regulations may further reduce the economic competitiveness of fossil fuel plants versus renewable sources like wind. Another boost to the prospect of wind power generation in Kentucky is the complementarity of wind power with solar power, where wind is often stronger in seasons and at times of day when solar power is lacking. This complementarity helps wind energy improve the power grid reliability versus just adding solar alone, and the scarcity of wind power in Kentucky's current energy mix increases the value of adding new wind generation. This scarcity of wind energy generation in the state and its surrounding region results in the region having one of the highest value-cost ratios for wind energy in the U.S.

From 2012 to 2023 we live-trapped small mammals within the two habitats of Hazeldell Meadow State Nature Preserve on the Highland Rim of northern Pulaski County, Kentucky. This is a rare ecosystem and the only protected site of its kind in the state. Seven species were captured during the study. In the wet meadow habitat, white-footed deermice (Peromyscus leucopus) were captured throughout the study with a peak in 2020. This was the first year bot fly larvae were found on white-footed deermice. No other species had them. Prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) were captured for the first time in the fall of 2022. Far fewer white-footed deermice were captured after prairie voles arrived, which then became the most captured species in 2022 and 2023. The eastern harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys humulis) was the third most-often captured species, but only infrequently. Three species were captured in the wet flatwoods; white-footed deermice accounted for 89% of the captures. Over the 12 years of this study, there have been three phases of management of the meadow that included burning, mowing, and removal of sapling trees by hand. These management practices and climate change may be influencing the balance of small mammal species in Hazeldell Preserve. Consequently, this study serves as a baseline to recognize future changes and trends in small mammal ecology in the preserve.

Beargrass Creek is one of the largest watersheds in Louisville, Kentucky, draining over 60 square miles within Louisville and outpouring into the Ohio River. The creek consists of three branches – the South, Middle, and Muddy forks – each flowing through a variety of residential and commercial areas as well as a multitude of parklands. Despite this creek's prominence in the city, little research has been done documenting the concentration of anthropogenic debris within its watershed. This study documents man-made debris accumulation at 15 sites located within the Louisville metropolitan area as a continuation of the work conducted by the University of Louisville Aqlan Lab in summer of 2022. The study assesses the debris build-up within the creek and establishes debris patterns in hopes of diminishing future buildups and improving conditions within this Louisville watershed. The amount of litter increased from June 2022 to July 2023, and litter amounts also increased during the summer of 2023. Middle Fork contained the highest total amount of debris, closely followed by South Fork. Plastic bottles, bags, and fragments made up over 70% of total litter, with glass (11%) and lumber (4%) being the second and third highest categories. The most common litter items were plastic bags, foam fragments, and food wrappers. Further analysis is still needed to investigate the magnitude, character, and sources of debris in Beargrass Creek across different seasons.